Plight of the Funny Female: A RESPONSE AND CHALLENGE TO THE ‘WOMEN AREN’T FUNNY’ RHETORIC
- Onicia Muller
- Feb 11, 2016
- 4 min read
We are women. We are smart. We are funny. This is a response to Olga Khazan’s piece for The Atlantic, Plight of the Funny Female. She wondered, if men and women are clearly capable of being equally funny, why does humor by non-famous women so often go unappreciated? I’ve heard similar sentiments about female comedians. Most of my response relates to women in comedy.
With dating, job searches, and winning the lotto – having women take a larger share in the comedy scene is a numbers game. We have to be in it to win it; we have to enter multiple times.
Finding Funny Women is a Numbers Game
Laura Mickes conducted a version of The New Yorker cartoon-caption with her 32 students. She aimed to measure humor ability between female and males. Mickes found that on a five-point scale, the men’s captions were about .11 points funnier. Gil Greengross explained that “men are willing to take more risks [in humor], and they also fail more miserably.”
No doubt, if you ask a stranger to name ten funny stand-up comedians, chances are that the majority will be men. We know that people gravitate to where they're welcomed. Positive feelings like acceptance, increases our willingness to try, fail, and try again. The comedy clubs and night-time hours are more welcoming to men. So, they take more chances. They have more opportunities to become better. They are then also assumed to be funnier.
Like all marginalized groups, women are expected to be exceptional. If she fails, her failure is counted towards her entire gender or any other group she may represent. This is discussed in many documentaries about women in comedy. Including Bonnie McFarlane’s Women Aren’t Funny (2014).
Similar to dating, job searches, and winning the lotto – representation is a numbers game. We have to be in it to win it; we have to enter multiple times.
If someone argues: statistically women aren’t funny. Challenge them to name thirty female comedians. If they can’t name thirty, then they haven’t attempted to experience the world of female comedians. If they are able to list thirty, ask them to articulate why each comic was and wasn’t funny.
Comedy should be Measured by Quality — Not Quantity
A good study has quantitative and qualitative analysis. Tests like The New Yorker cartoon-caption contest revealed that men used sexual humor and profanity more. Meanwhile, women were more creative and produced better-written – but unfunny – captions. Mickes’ study created a follow up question; if men were truly the funnier sex, though, wouldn’t they be more consistently funny?
My evaluation of a stand-up comedian includes measuring how often I laughed and what I laughed at. Although I may laugh until I cry, I rate a set weak if more than a third of the material is sexual humor and profanity. Dropping an F-bomb or the N-word may amplify humor, but it also very quickly becomes a crutch. Comedy is entertainment, it’s also a platform to foster discussion about current issues. The greats are great not because they landed the Moby of dick jokes, but because they made us think.
A challenge to both genders: write a clean 5-minute set on a topic other than sex or romantic relationships.
Attractive Women Don’t Need To Be Funny
Khazan’s Plight of the Funny Female wasn’t specifically about stand-up comedy. The piece also discussed a correlation between telling jokes and attractiveness. Separate studies on this topic found that “men prefer women who are receptive to their humor, whereas women prefer men who produce humor.”
Khazan relayed a dating experience that went south. The guy admitted that he was unable to decide whether they should be a couple. Her being beautiful AND goofy conflicted him. I don't believe being funny, silly, or being able to land a joke makes any woman unattractive. I think the ability to appreciate a joke and joker is a reflection of where you are mentally.
To be next-level funny, I think you have to be smart, original, and CONFIDENT in your opinion. To me, men who believe funny women are less attractive, may also be threatened by assertive, opinionated women. If that's you, I don't need you to tag me funny. I'll leave you to play in your shallow dick-joke puddle.
So why does humor by non-famous women so often go unappreciated? Are men funnier than women? I want this to be a misinformed assumption. Of the 165 streaming films categorized as stand-up comedy on Netflix US, 22 featured only women and averaged a 2 of 5 stars.
My final challenge: discover more female comics and test the rating of Nexflix subscribers. I’ve made this easier by curating two lists of films by and about female comedians.
3 Must-Watch Documentaries about Women in Comedy
Women Aren’t Funny (2014) Bonnie McFarlane
MAKERS: Women In Comedy (2014) Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Why We Laugh: Funny Women (2013) Bernard Gourley
22 Stand-up Comedy Specials on Netflix
List created January 26, 2016. Download this printable by clicking here, mark the specials you’ve seen, and compare your rating to Netflix subscribers.
Anjelah Johnson: Not Fancy (2015) Anjelah Johnson
Anjelah Johnson: The homecoming Show (2013) Anjelah Johnson
Chelsea Handler: Uganda Be Killing Me (2014) Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats (2014) Chelsea Peretti
Debra Digiovanni: Single, Awkward, Female (2011) Debra Digiovanni
God Said, “Ha!” (1999) Julie Sweeney
Heather McDonald: I Don't Mean to Brag (2014) Heather McDonald
Hello Kitty Flanagan (2014) Kitty Flanagan
Iliza Shlesinger: Freezing Hot Online (2015) Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Shlesinger: War Paint (2013) Iliza Shlesinger
Jen Kirkman: I'm Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) (2015) Jen Kirkman
Joan Rivers: Don’t Start With Me (2012) Joan Rivers
Kathleen Madigan: Madigan Again (2013) Kathleen Madigan
Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special! (2012) Maria Bamford
Melanie Comarcho: Hello! (2013) Melanie Comarcho
Mo'Nique: I Coulda Been Your Cellmate! (2006) Mo’Nique
Morgan Murphy: Irish Goodbye (2013) Morgan Murphy
Problem Child: Leslie Jones (2009) Leslie Jones
Sommore: Chandelier Status (2013) Sommore
Tammy Pescatelli: Finding the Funny (2013) Tammy Pescatelli
Tig (2015) Tig Nataru **(not a stand-up special)
Women Who Kill (2012) Amy Schumer, Nikki Glasser, Marina Franklin, and Rachel Feinstein)
Onicia (@OniciaMuller) is a Chicago-based writer and comedian. Send her links to all your funny things. She wants to like, comment, and support as many Women in comedy.
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